🫠 This Week in Psychedelics

Welcome to Tricycle Day. We’re the psychedelics newsletter with more golden nuggets than a McDonald’s drive through. 🍟

Here’s what we got this week.

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Higher purpose: Meaningful psychedelic experiences are linked to increased moral expansiveness, admiration, and awe.
Beach bods: Combining psilocybin with semaglutide (Ozempic) improved metabolism and fatty liver disease in mice.
Tune in: Regular meditators say psychedelics have had a positive influence on their meditation practice.
Putty brain: DMT creates a transient brain state of heightened sensitivity, which may explain why such brief experiences can have long-lasting effects.
Wake-up call: Behold the first report of a classic psychedelic used as a treatment for a post-comatose disorder of consciousness.

Federalism at work: Nevada lawmakers filed a bill to create a psilocybin therapy program and heard a resolution urging the federal government to step up, too.
Special treatment: Missouri lawmakers advanced a bill to allow veterans and sex trafficking survivors to access psilocybin.
Let ‘em hear it: The nonprofit VETS is hosting a legislative day of action at the Texas State Capitol to advocate for ibogaine.
Buyer beware: Colorado’s Natural Medicine Division issued a consumer alert about fraud and scams.
Military medicine: The Department of Defense is committing a second $4.9 million grant to study MDMA for PTSD.

Buccal up: atai Life Sciences launched its Phase 2 trial of buccal film DMT and reported its 2024 financial results.
Pentagon’s plug: PharmAla Biotech is supplying MDMA capsules for the DoD-funded PTSD trials and separate research on MDMA for schizophrenia.
How refreshing: Polyrizon is collaborating with a mystery psychedelic company to develop a novel intranasal hydrogel.
No more mushies: The second annual Denver Shroom Fest has been canceled.
False flowers: The blue lotus products sold online aren’t what they seem.

Can chatbots take MDMA? ChatGPT showed signs of anxiety after users shared “traumatic narratives” about crime, war, or accidents.
Super ego: Excessive ketamine use can make anyone feel like they rule the world.
When the smoke clears: LA Times released a short documentary about two first responders who traveled to Mexico for psychedelic therapy.
Meme of the week: When they say “plant medicine isn’t a toy,” this is what they mean…

If you received totally bogus drug propaganda from D.A.R.E. as a child, you may be entitled to compensation.

Jk, we’re not organizing a class action suit. (Mesothelioma lawyers, hit us up?) But maybe this new study will at least ease your pain.

After analyzing data from over 11,000 people, researchers found that lifetime use of classic psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD was associated with 25% lower odds of experiencing frequent bad headaches.

Let’s get into the weeds, shall we?

Migraines and cluster headaches are among the most disabling conditions in the world. Cluster headaches are so brutal they’re known not-so-affectionately as "suicide headaches," while migraines affect ~15% of the population. Sadly, current treatments often come with unwanted side effects or just plain don’t work.

Now for the big caveat… This study technically can't tell us which came first—i.e., do psychedelics prevent headaches, or do headache sufferers avoid substances they think could trigger an episode? But with evidence from clinical trials and citizen science pointing the same direction, these findings are getting harder to ignore.

Now who’s making mushroom ice cream to test if this works for brain freeze? 🫠

Well, well, well. Remember when most psychiatrists thought psychedelics were useless at best, dangerous at worst? Times are changing, and fast. A new survey shows that American psychiatrists have done a complete 180 on “hallucinogens” since 2016.

Today, a whopping 81% of psychiatrists believe psychedelics show promise for treating psychiatric conditions. (That’s almost double the 42% who felt that way seven years earlier.) On the flip side, the percentage of psychiatrists worried about “increased risk of psychiatric disorders” has plummeted from 65% to 37%. We’ll see if they’re willing to walk the walk, but half are planning to add psychedelic-assisted therapy into their practice once regulators give the green light.

The study doesn’t say explicitly say what’s changing their minds, but c’mon—it's not hard to connect the dots. Years of clinical trials are stacking up evidence for psychedelics' therapeutic potential, especially for conditions that have been practically untreatable with what’s available. And you don’t need to be an anthropologist to see that cultural attitudes are shifting, too. Shoot, even Oprah’s coming around.

Is it just us or is the Land of Enchantment is feeling extra enchanted lately? This week, New Mexico's Senate voted 33-4 to approve a state-regulated psilocybin therapy program. While you could say New Mexico is following in Oregon and Colorado’s footsteps, this bill takes a decidedly more clinical approach.

Under the Medical Psilocybin Act, administration would be limited to licensed healthcare providers only. (So maybe Utah’s system is a closer comparison). Patients with conditions like treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and end-of-life anxiety would receive structured preparation, dosing, and integration sessions, all under medical supervision. But don’t get it twisted. They’re still using natural mushrooms—no synthetics allowed.

Time’s a-ticking, as the bill still needs to clear the House and land on the governor's desk before the legislative session ends. The proposal even includes a couple million bucks to support research and help low-income patients afford treatment. Wait, affordable healthcare? Now we’re really in a fairy tale.

That’s all for today, Cyclists! Whenever you’re ready, here’s how we can help.

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DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. The use, possession, and distribution of psychedelic drugs are illegal in most countries and may result in criminal prosecution.